Seafood industry Archives - Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Alaska seafood harvesting jobs are up for the first time since 2019

November 6, 2026 — Last year, Alaska saw the biggest increase in seafood harvesting jobs in more than a decade, according to a recent report from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Seafood harvesters include permit holders and boat crews. Their numbers increased by 4% over the previous year, averaging over 200 more jobs per month than in 2024.

That growth follows a five-year decline, with harvesting job numbers hitting an all-time low in 2024 since data collection began more than two decades ago.

Economist Joshua Warren authored the report for Alaska Economic Trends, the labor department’s magazines. He said that five-year decline was in large part due to the pandemic.

“Other industries saw some level of return once COVID measures stopped, but those trends just seemed to continue for seafood harvesting,” Warren said.

On top of that, Warren said some fisheries closed — like red king crab and snow crab in the Bering Sea — and others saw reduced catch limits. But last year there weren’t any new closures.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media

OREGON: Seafood Trail launched celebrating local fisheries, Oregon-landed seafood

November 6, 2026 — The Oregon Coast Seafood Trail, a new initiative inviting travelers to experience local seafood closer to its source, has been launched by the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) in partnership with the Oregon Ocean Cluster.

Featuring more than 20 local businesses, the trail helps visitors discover fisher-family-run eateries, seafood markets, dockside retailers and food carts that prioritize Oregon-landed and Oregon-grown seafood. Along the way, it introduces travelers to the fishing families and working waterfronts that sustain Oregon’s blue economy, according to a release from the OCVA.

The trail addresses a disconnect between Oregon’s seafood harvest and what reaches local plates. A 2022 study commissioned by OCVA found that about 90% of the seafood supplied to the Oregon Coast businesses and institutions studied was classified as non-local catch. The trail helps travelers and residents find businesses committed to local sourcing and learn where their seafood comes from.

Amazon sees quick ROI on perishable goods delivery service, with seafood growth leading the charge

November 6, 2026 — U.S. retail giant Amazon has realized a quick return on its investment after expanding its home delivery service to include perishable goods last summer, according to a new report from consumer intelligence firm NielsenIQ.

The report, titled “Amazon’s Perishables Expansion Is Reshaping How Shoppers Use the Platform,” found that delivery of perishable items such as seafood, meat, dairy, bakery goods, and more are growing “considerably faster” than traditional grocery and non-food items.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US seafood consumption declines in 2024 as species rankings shift

November 5, 2026 — Tilapia slipped to fifth place among the most-consumed seafood species in the United States, despite a slight increase in consumption to 0.92 pounds per person, up 0.01 pounds from 2023, according to data release by the National Seafood Association.

Pangasius, a commonly imported farm-raised fish, moved into sixth place, overtaking domestic catfish. Americans consumed 0.73 pounds of pangasius per capita in 2024, an increase of 0.19 pounds from the previous year. That marked the largest gain among the top 10 seafood species.

The shift is particularly relevant to U.S. catfish producers, who compete with imported seafood in the domestic market. Catfish fell in the rankings as consumption declined to 0.52 pounds per person, down 0.03 pounds from 2023.

Cod moved into seventh place, with consumption increasing slightly to 0.54 pounds per capita, up 0.01 pounds from the previous year.

Crab also recorded a modest gain, reaching 0.48 pounds per person, an increase of 0.03 pounds. Scallops rounded out the top 10 at 0.2 pounds per capita, unchanged from 2023.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US commercial seafood landings revenue dropped 3.6 percent in 2024

November 4, 2026 — U.S. commercial fishers landed 3.5 million metric tons of seafood in 2024, valued at USD 4.9 billion (EUR 4.4 billion), according to NOAA Fisheries’ latest edition of its Fisheries of the United States report.

That represents a 3.6 percent decline from 2023 revenue, with commercial fishers landing 9.2 percent less in terms of weight. At the same time, commercial fishers received a slightly higher average ex-vessel price for those landings, earning USD 0.64 (EUR 0.57) per pound in 2024 – 6.7 percent more than the year before.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US commercial fisheries landed 7.7 billion pounds in 2024

November 3, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries released three of its flagship reports on U.S. fisheries, showing commercial fishermen landed 7.7 billion pounds of seafood worth $4.9 billion in 2024, while the number of stocks subject to overfishing fell to an all-time low in 2025.

The agency released its 2025 Status of Stocks report alongside the 2024 Fisheries of the United States and 2024 Fisheries Economics of the United States reports, providing a broad look at the biological and economic health of U.S. fisheries.

According to NOAA Fisheries, U.S. commercial fisheries supported 1 million jobs in 2024 and generated $175 billion in sales, $44 billion in income and $70 billion in value-added impacts nationwide. Combined, the commercial fishing, seafood and recreational fishing industries generated $321 billion in sales and supported 1.7 million jobs.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

National Seafood Association data finds US seafood consumption fell in 2024

November 3, 2026 — New data shared by the National Seafood Association indicates seafood consumption in the U.S. fell in 2024.

According to the association, U.S. residents consumed 18.4 pounds of seafood per capita in 2024, down from the 19.1 pounds of seafood per capita the country consumed in 2023. That total in 2023 was itself also down from the 20.8 pounds consumed per capita in 2022.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

National Aquaculture Association Calls for Recognition and Expansion of Responsible Aquaculture in the US

November 2, 2026 — In response to recent reporting on environmental and labor concerns associated with international fish farming and seafood supply chains overseas, the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) of the United States (US) emphasized the importance of expanding responsible, well-regulated aquaculture production in the country.

According to them, the recent reporting involving forced labor, unsustainable fishing practices, and environmental degradation warrants serious attention. However, these practices should not be used to characterize an entire global sector that includes wholly diverse species, production systems, and regulatory environments.

“Serious problems in poorly regulated international supply chains should not be used to discredit responsible American aquaculture producers who operate under some of the world’s most stringent environmental and regulatory standards,” said Caitlyn Czajkowski, Executive Director of the National Aquaculture Association.

“The United States has the regulatory framework, scientific expertise, and responsible producers needed to safely expand sustainable aquaculture production. We should be growing more seafood here at home, not allowing the failures of irresponsible operations overseas to define our sector,” she added.

Read the full article at Aquaculture Magazine

Fish is food: Opening USDA doors for commercial fishermen

October 30, 2026 — When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) were established in 1970, it was recommended that they become part of their own oceans department or the Department of the Interior. But the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, which preceded NOAA, focused on marine resources as economic assets, so the Nixon Administration put the new agencies in the Department of Commerce, and that’s where they have remained for the last 56 years.

But many people in the industry have noticed the limitations of looking at fish strictly as economic assets, and they will be talking about it on the Fish is Food: Opening Doors for Seafood in Federal Programs Panel at the 2026 Pacific Marine Expo. “For years seafood has been treated as a commodity rather than part of the food system,” says Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA). “With Mike Illenberg leading the USDA’s [United States Department of Agriculture] new office of seafood, we have someone who knows the industry and can help fishermen access the programs we need.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Increasing quality, safety, and sustainability of Alaska seafood

October 30, 2026 — The seafood marketplace is a battleground, and the fight between wild and farmed salmon has raged since the early 2000s. “One industry spurs the other to make changes,” says Julie Decker, president of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association—the PSPA. Decker will be speaking on a panel titled: Value Starts on Deck: Creating a Culture of Food Safety, Quality, and Sustainability Onboard. Joining Decker on the panel are Seafood Consultant John Boyce of Cultivate SA and Lisa Goche, CEO of Seafood Collaborators LLC.

“We’re looking at a three-pronged approach,” says Boyce. “Safety, Quality, and Sustainability. I will talk about safety, Julie will talk about quality, and Lisa will talk about sustainability.”

Speaking with Decker and Boyce, both want to amplify the message that food safety and quality begin on deck. “We have to think of fish as food as soon as it comes out of the water,” says Decker, noting that other suppliers to the global salmon market such as the Russians and the aquaculture industry have certain advantages that force Alaska fishermen to up their game. “There was a crash in the early 2000s where we realized we had to do a lot of things differently, and one of those things was to increase quality.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman